Rep. Ron Stephens, who represents part of Liberty County, recently was honored by the Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services, a statewide association representing more than 14,000 EMS professionals in Georgia. The board of directors of GAEMS, along with local EMS leaders, presented Stephens with the GAEMS Star of Life Legislative Award, recognizing him as one of a select few honored for the 2008 legislative session, at a special presentation in Savannah."We are proud to have Rep. Ron Stephens as a recipient of the GAEMS Star of Life Legislative Award," said GAEMS President Courtney Terwilliger. "Rep. Stephens has put a tremendous amount of effort into solving the crisis of trauma care here in Georgia. "His ability to lead on such an important issue has been vital to assisting the EMS community, and recognition of his efforts is long overdue. As a sign of appreciation, GAEMS is honored to recognize Representative Stephens and other legislators for their understanding and appreciation for the lifesaving contributions of our EMTs and Paramedics in their local communities," continued Terwilliger.Jim Turner, director of Liberty Regional EMS, said, "Rep.Stephens has become a tremendous advocate for EMS professionals. Rep, Stephens displayed remarkable leadership this legislative session and we wanted to show him our appreciation for the courage he provided on these issues."EMTs in Georgia regularly put their lives on the line everyday, and they do so out of dedication, compassion, and a sincere commitment to making a difference in the communities they serve. We are sincerely grateful for Rep. Stephens' support and for also showing these same qualities and attributes," Turner said.The award is named for the EMS symbol, which is a blue, six-pointed star with the Rod of Asclepius in the center. Each of the bars of the blue Star of Life represents the six system functions of emergency medical services: detection, reporting, response, on scene care, care in transit and transfer to definitive care.The Georgia Association of Emergency Medical Services is a state-wide organization consisting of Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Paramedics, EMS Administrators, EMS Educators, EMS Medical Directors and other associates from across the state that are passionate about delivering quality Emergency Medical Services.